The Apollo Murders [B0734]

2022 PB. An exceptional debut thriller and exciting journey into the dark heart of the Cold War and the space race from New York Times bestselling author and astronaut Chris Hadfield. 1973: a final, top-secret mission to the Moon. Three astronauts in a tiny spaceship, a quarter million miles from home. A quarter million miles from help. NASA is about to launch Apollo 18. While the mission has been billed as a scientific one, flight controller Kazimieras "Kaz" Zemeckis knows there is a darker objective. Intelligence has discovered a secret Soviet space station spying on America, and Apollo 18 may be the only chance to stop it. But even as Kaz races to keep the NASA crew one step ahead of their Russian rivals, a deadly accident reveals that not everyone involved is quite who they were thought to be. With political stakes stretched to the breaking point, the White House and the Kremlin can only watch as their astronauts collide on the lunar surface, far beyond the reach of law or rescue. Full of the fascinating technical detail that fans of The Martian loved, and reminiscent of the thrilling claustrophobia, twists, and tension of The Hunt for Red October, The Apollo Murders is a high-stakes thriller unlike any other. Chris Hadfield captures the fierce G-forces of launch, the frozen loneliness of space, and the fear of holding on to the outside of a spacecraft orbiting the Earth at 17,000 miles per hour as only someone who has experienced all of these things in real life can. Strap in and count down for the ride of a lifetime.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "I didn't know what to expect from Chris Hadfield. Surprisingly this was actually very well done. Good enough that I hopped into the next one in the series! I enjoy the characters, some of the science and obviously his background with NASA and the Air Force."; "This book is HEAVY on the intricate details on all sorts of technologies mentioned in the book, from guns to the Apollo rockets to telecommunications etc. This detail is simultaneously its strength and weakness. I learned a lot of real and true detail provided by astronaut Chris Hadfield. However, many times I was frustrated at how much detail seemed repetitive or unnecessary, especially when the plot could have been furthered faster. Overall though, I did very much enjoy the book and the plot."; "Not the most unique Cold War premise but enjoyable to read and as a space nerd I loved its realism"